First picture of woman, 33, who died in Brixton concert crush
The family of Rebecca Ikumelo have paid tribute to the mother-of-two and hailed her ‘care, kindness and love’.
The 33-year-old died following a crowd crush outside the O2 Academy Brixton.
In a statement released through the Metropolitan Police, her family said: ‘Rebecca was a graduate of nursing. She was an adorable mother of two children who loved working with kids.
‘She was well respected in the family for her care, kindness and love. Her parents call her Tosin (short for Oluwatosin) meaning “Lord is Worthy”.’
Two other women – aged 21 and 23 – are still fighting for their lives following the crush.
The crush forced a concert by the Nigerian singer Asake to be cancelled halfway through.
In a statement shared on social media, Asake, 27, expressed his ‘sincerest condolences’ to Rebecca’s family and wrote that he has been in touch with them.
‘I am devastated by the news that Rebecca Ikumelo who was in a critical condition since Thursday has sadly passed away,’ he said.
‘My sincerest condolences to her loved ones at this time. Let us please keep her family in our prayers. I have spoken to them and will continue to do so.
‘I am overwhelmed with grief and could never have imagined anything like this happening.
‘My team and I are still awaiting the full debrief back from the Venue management and the Police to determine what exactly led to all the disruption caused and ultimately to Rebecca’s passing.’
Footage posted on social media show a crowd of several hundred people trying to get in to the sold out gig.
People were seen forcing their way past security staff and streaming into the Stockwell Road venue.
Speaking at the scene yesterday, Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove, policing commander for Lambeth and Southwark, said: ‘I’d like to extend my sympathies to all those who have been affected.
‘Having seen some of the really upsetting images on social media our thoughts are with them.
‘An urgent investigation is currently under way led by detectives from our Specialist Crime Command and cordons remain in place as officers continue to work at the scene.
‘This is still a fast moving and evolving picture and we are working to establish the events that led up to the incident.
‘We are also aware of a vast amount of footage on social media and of course this will be examined as part of the investigation along with footage from officers’ body worn video cameras.
‘We have set up an online page for the submission of photos and videos. There were around 4,000 potential witnesses present at the time of this incident and we want to urge any members of the public with information to come forward.
‘We need your information as we try to establish what happened as quickly as we can.’
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